The decades-long reign of the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes team in the annual Disneyland employee canoe races has come to an end with the Disneyland Fire Department wresting the crown away from the perennial favorites on their home turf.
Disneyland crowned a new champion on Thursday, Aug. 1 before the Anaheim theme park opened to the public as the team made up of Disneyland firefighters hoisted the Fastest on the River trophy.
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The Smoke on the Water team bested the Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes team by 10 seconds and finished a single loop of the Rivers of America in 3 minutes and 44 seconds.
“It felt great,” Disneyland Firefighter and Smoke on the Water team captain John Simpson said. “Such a sense of accomplishment for our entire team.”
The canoe races that started more than 60 years ago at Disneyland have become a beloved summer tradition for employees that has been exported to Disney parks around the globe.
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The Davy Crockett teams at Disneyland have been so dominant in recent decades that the junior varsity team often finishes a close runner-up to the victorious varsity squad.
But not this year.
“Firefighters are very competitive by nature,” Simpson said via an email interview. “Give us a task that seems insurmountable and watch out.”
The Disneyland Fire Department’s Smoke on the Water team competes in the 2024 Disneyland canoe race. (Courtesy of Disneyland)
The Disneyland firefighters vowed three years ago to vanquish the Davy Crockett teams from the top spot on the winners podium.
“To finally realize it, I am very proud of our commitment,” Simpson said.
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Last year the firefighters got close — finishing a close third behind the two Davy Crockett teams.
The firefighters made a few excuses in defeat — advanced age, missing teammates — but vowed to emerge victorious in 2024. Now they’ve made good on that promise and dethroned the long-dominant Davy Crockett teams.
“I hope that we can establish a friendly rivalry between the teams that lasts for years to come,” Simpson said.
The Disneyland Fire Department’s Smoke on the Water team celebrates after the 2024 Disneyland canoe race. (Courtesy of Disneyland)
Smoke on the Water raised up one of their own as their team mascot — 92-year-old Disneyland Firefighter Hank Ameen.
“Over the last three years we have adopted the motto ‘Win One For Hank’ and now we have,” Simpson said.
Ameen, with more than 60 years of service at Disneyland, joined Smoke on the Water for a victory lap around Tom Sawyer Island after the resounding win.
Ameen, who still works two days a week at the park, inspired the AARP-eligible firefighter canoe crew that boasted an average age of 57.
“I’m sure that we were one of the oldest teams,” said Simpson, 63, from Irvine.
The Disneyland Fire Department’s Smoke on the Water team celebrates after the 2024 Disneyland canoe race. (Courtesy of Disneyland)
Far from bitter in defeat, the Davy Crockett teams cheered on their rivals throughout the friendly competition.
“They were very supportive and encouraged us at each of our starts,” Simpson said.
During the past year, the Disneyland firefighters trained once a week at the Newport Aquatic Center with a single goal in mind: Hoisting the Fastest on the River trophy.
“We wanted to make sure that we didn’t have a repeat of last year,” Simpson said.
The hard work paid off — and drove their competitors to greater heights.
The Davy Crockett team shaved four seconds off its winning time from last year — but it wasn’t enough as the Disneyland Firefighters improved on their time by 23 seconds.
The Disneyland Fire Department team “Smoke on the Water” competes in the Disneyland Resort Canoe Races in the Rivers of America inside Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 10, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Disneyland firefighters are prepared to defend their crown in 2025 and have already set a goal of breaking the fastest time ever posted — 3 minutes, 35 seconds.
If you’re wondering, the average lap around Tom Sawyer Island on one of the few Disneyland rides with no motor or track takes the average crew of 20 visitors about eight to 10 minutes.
Racers making the counterclockwise full loop around Tom Sawyer Island paddle in the opposite direction of Disneyland visitors. The lone concession is really the only way to strip an otherwise unfair advantage from the race teams made up of Davy Crockett Explorer Canoe cast members, Disney parlance for employees.
Matthew Gonzales works to guide his team “DC Gorilla Oarfare” during the Disneyland Resort Canoe Races in the Rivers of America inside Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 10, 2023. They won the Fastest on the River award. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Nonetheless, Davy Crockett Explorer Canoe employee teams traditionally dominate the standings every year. Pride is on the line, after all. It’s their job to know the river. Plus they get to practice every day of the year.
As many as 1,000 employees from Disneyland, Walt Disney Imagineering and from throughout the company take part in the canoe races each year — with eight to 16 members on each team.
It’s an arduous commitment. Practices began in June with races starting in July and winners crowned in August. All of the practice and competition time on the water takes place when the park is closed — typically in the early morning hours just before dawn and wrapping up just before Disneyland opens for the day to visitors.
Matthew Gonzales, front, joins his team “DC Gorilla Oarfare” as they celebrate wining their division during the Disneyland Resort Canoe Races in the Rivers of America inside Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 10, 2023. They won the Fastest on the River award. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Disneyland canoe races began in the summer of 1963 when Indian War Canoes foreman Ray Van De Warker and Jungle Cruise foreman Bob Penfield watched a visitors’ canoe filled with athletes charge around the Rivers of America at top speed.
A debate ensued and challenges followed. Soon Frontierland and Adventureland employees were battling it out on the water to see which themed land was the king of the river.
The Disneyland canoe races are one of the many unique perks of working at the Happiest Place on Earth, a bucket list experience for many employees and the reason some apply for the job in the first place.
The team “DC Gorilla Oarfare” joins other divisional winners as they take a victory lap during the Disneyland Resort Canoe Races in the Rivers of America inside Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 10, 2023. They won the Fastest on the River award. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Most of the pinch-yourself Disney Cast Life moments take place during the wee hours between closing time and the morning rope drop when the park is typically teeming with overnight workers. Sleeping Beauty Castle sunrise yoga sessions start just before daybreak. Minnie’s Moonlit Madness trivia and scavenger hunt takes place after midnight.
The goal: Build community and friendships among employees while having fun at work. Of course, there’s a competitive aspect as well. Winning helps. Losing hurts. But the camaraderie and teamwork endures.
